![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/woman-goes-to-CVS-to-refill.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A CVS customer from a small town in Louisiana tries to pick up a new prescription. However, the pharmacist refuses to fill it, saying that she has to wait until the new year.<\/p>\n
TikToker Charlie Plate (@charlieplate05<\/a>) explains that she has only a few shopping and pharmacy options<\/a> in her area. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a Walgreens, a CVS, and a Thrifty Way,\u201d she explains. Plate says she asked her doctor to send her new medication to the CVS pharmacy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is who I fill with usually because if I\u2019m on the road and I need it transferred for me to be able to pick it up at my convenience, I can,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n Then, she gets a call from CVS.<\/p>\n \u201cThey say, \u2018Oh, we can\u2019t fill your medication because we\u2019ve reached our limit on that medication for the year,”\u201d she says, appearing confused and frustrated. \u201cFor the year?! I\u2019m just getting this medication.\u201d<\/p>\n The pharmacy worker tries to explain that it isn\u2019t a limit on Plate\u2019s refills, but a limit on how much of the medication the pharmacy can carry.<\/p>\n The caption reads, \u201cThere\u2019s literally only 36 hours left in this year, are there not exceptions?!\u201d<\/p>\n Why does CVS Pharmacy have a limit for the medication? <\/p>\n While Plate doesn\u2019t share which medication she couldn\u2019t pick up, commenters suggest that some pharmacies have a limit on how many controlled substance prescriptions they can fill.<\/p>\n According to the Pharmacy Times<\/a>, this Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) restriction is called a \u201cprocurement quota\u201d and is intended to avoid distributing too many drugs that could be abused. <\/p>\n \u201cI work in a pharmacy. We are small and are only allocated so many bottles of certain medications. so sometimes we can\u2019t order more till our allocation,\u201d one explains.<\/p>\n Another writes, \u201cCan\u2019t change DEA numbers. Sorry!\u201d<\/p>\n In a comment, Plate acknowledges that DEA restrictions can\u2019t be changed but worries that limits could create dangerous situations for some patients.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tech that called me gave me no choice and cancelled my prescription. His words not mine, and told me I had to have it filled elsewhere. I asked if it could just wait to be filled, and was told no,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n Plate continues, asking, \u201cHow is it the fault of the patient to go without medication because the DEA comes up with numbers out of thin air on what the main pharmacy in a small town is allowed to fill?\u201d<\/p>\n @charlieplate05<\/a> @CVS Pharmacy care to explain because the pharmacy associate was terrible at it! There\u2019s literally only 36 hours left in this year, are there not exceptions?! #fyp<\/a> #cvspharmacy<\/a> \u266c original sound \u2013 Charlie Plate<\/a> What happens if your pharmacy meets its quota? <\/p>\n Pharmacies can\u2019t simply transfer a prescription to another once it hits its procurement quota, due to restrictions on controlled substances. So, patients<\/a> share the hoops they had to jump through to access their medications.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to leave messages, but we are trying to get the doc to send it to another pharmacist. It\u2019s leaving my husband with no pain meds the first night. When the block wears off, he will be hurting. I had no idea this was even possible,\u201d one user on the r\/WalgreensStores<\/a> subreddit shares.<\/p>\n \u201cThis month my oxy couldn\u2019t be filled due to CVS and Walgreens in my area completely out of stock. They can\u2019t get replenished. My pain management doctor was so p-ssed with this shortage and ridiculous rules for opioids,\u201d a r\/PainManagement<\/a> subreddit member says. \u201cI ended up calling small non-corporate pharmacies in my area and luckily found one that still had oxy in stock. But they too will be out next month.\u201d<\/p>\n A third suggests moving refill dates to the beginning of the month. They write, \u201cIf your refill date is towards the end of the month, this will be an ongoing problem because quotas are usually met in the beginning of the month!\u201d<\/p>\n The Mary Sue reached out to Plate via TikTok direct message and to CVS via email for further comment.<\/p>\n Have a tip we should know? [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n \t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRebekah Harding <\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRebekah Harding is a reporter and content strategist based in Philadelphia. You can contact her at rebekahjonesharding.com.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n ![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rebekahharding.jpg\")
<\/p>\n